Selection and bundling method for random length material s

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for selecting random length boards for nesting into a single row of predetermined lengths includes the initial step of arranging a plurality of random length boards on an accumulating rack. A plurality of the boards are then conveyed to channels in an adjacent storage rack. The length of each board is determined as the board is conveyed from the accumulating rack to the storage rack, and this information is transmitted to a central processor. The processor calculates combinations of board lengths in the storage rack which will form a single stock row having a combined board length within a predetermined target range. The processor then selects a preferred combination of boards from the possible combinations, and activates gates in the channels to drop the boards to a conveyor and move the selected boards to a stock row accumulating location. The processor then activates gates on the accumulating rack tracks to convey additional boards to empty channels in the storage rack, and repeats the process. The apparatus includes an accumulating conveyor with longitudinal tracks positioned adjacent a storage rack with longitudinal channels aligned with the tracks. A scanning assembly is positioned between the accumulating conveyor and storage rack for scanning boards moving between the conveyor and storage rack, to determine the length of each board. The central processor is connected to the scanning assembly, and gates on the accumulating rack and storage rack, to automatically operate the system.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] (Not applicable)

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSOREDRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

[0002] (Not applicable)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] (1) Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to apparatus forselecting random length materials, such as wood flooring stock andbundling nested combinations into a standard length, and moreparticularly to an improved apparatus for automated sorting of aplurality of random length stock into standard length combinations forbundling.

[0005] (2) Background Information

[0006] Solid wood flooring is typically produced in random lengths whichvary from nine inches to eight feet long. The length is determined bycuts made to remove randomly placed defects in the natural raw material.

[0007] The flooring stock is typically shipped in standard bundlesranging from seven to eight feet long, and therefore the flooring stockis conventionally bundled in one of two ways: (1) sorting by length tothe nearest even foot in length, with various length bundles included ona single pallet; and (2) nesting various lengths of wood stock into astandard bundle, typically seven to eight feet long. In either case, thetop layer of flooring in each bundle is inverted, so that the face ofthe product is protected from damage during shipping and handling.

[0008] Nesting is becoming the preferred method of bundling, because itis easier to handle and ship and typically assures a random assortmentof lengths for the installer.

[0009] The most popular method for assembling random length woodflooring into nested bundles uses people to manually assemble thebundles. Generally, a person will first determine the grade of theflooring board by visual inspection. The inspected stock is then placedinto a rack and sorted by its approximate length. A person on the otherside of the rack will then remove selected pieces from one or more slotsin the rack, visually judging the lengths to make a row of the desiredstandard length, when the pieces are nested end to end. In this method,the wood stock is generally sorted into approximate one foot increments.However, rarely are the boards exactly cut to the foot, and thereforeare either longer or shorter than the increment slot in the rack inwhich it is placed. For this reason, once a combination of pieces isselected by the person assembling the bundle, it is often necessary toremove and replace various pieces to adjust the overall length of thenested row to fit the predetermined standard.

[0010] On the other hand, if the person grading the stock sorts thestock into racks with smaller increments, the sorting rack mustnecessarily be larger, and more time must be spent determining theproper slot in the rack for storage, as well as determining appropriatelengths for selection and nesting into the desired predetermined lengthrow.

[0011] In some cases, a separate automated sorting mechanism is used tosort the wood stock by approximate length after grading. However, thenesting process is still currently accomplished manually by people.After enough rows of a proper length have been selected (usually twelveto fifteen rows for standard strip flooring) the top layer of product ismanually inverted to protect the upper face of the product. The bundleis then tied together with plastic straps by a banding machine and thebundles are palletized for shipping.

[0012] As each row of nested lengths are assembled into a stack forminga bundle, each row is typically abutted flush, allowing the distal endsof the rows to vary. Thus, the bundle will typically include a proximalend with all rows abutted flush, and a distal end with a “jagged”appearance because of the various completed lengths of rows.

[0013] In an alternative bundling method, each end of the pieces ofmaterial are abutted against stops, forming flush ends, with the gapsbetween nested pieces located in the middle of the bundle. Frequently,the interleaving of the pieces in this particular method is not adequateto hold the bundle together and the bundle is not as secure when bound.This method also makes it more difficult to estimate the total actualfootage of the material in the bundle. Because the longest and shortestrows in the bundle are typically four to six inches longer or shorterthan the predetermined average, longer pallets are necessary forshipping and storage.

[0014] In forming a “jagged end” bundle, the bundle assembler typicallystarts with a long piece of wood stock, or a combination of shortpieces, and then chooses a short piece that will nest with the initialpiece or pieces to approximate the desired predetermined length. Thisresults in most of the short pieces being located at the jagged end ofthe bundle, which can then be easily dislodged from the bundle duringhandling and shipping. Frequently, when a truck or container of flooringis opened at its destination, dozens of short pieces of flooring havefallen from the bundles, with no way of determining which piece belongsto which bundle. This in turn results in a shortage of wood product frombundles, to the end user.

[0015] The process of assembling bundles is further complicated by themeasuring rules commonly used in this industry. A standard machining or“end matching” allowance of ¾ inch is allowed on each piece of flooring.End matching is the process of putting a groove on one end of a piece offlooring stock and a tongue on the other end. The tongue and groove theninterlock to prevent displacement of the ends of the flooring over time.The standard method of measurement for wood flooring calls for theaddition of ¾ inch to the length of the face of each piece, in order toallow for the material which is necessarily removed by the end matchingprocess. This means that, if a row is being assembled for a standardlength bundle, it may be ¾ inch short if the row consists of one pieceof wood stock, 1½ inches short if made up of two pieces of wood stock,etc. In practice, the average length is assumed, and the target bundlelength is shortened by the required amount.

[0016] Industry grading rules also require a minimum average length foreach grade. The system of the present invention allows the processor toeasily keep track of this information.

[0017] The current process of creating nested rows to form bundles byhand is time consuming, tedious, and proficiency requires considerexperience. Some bundle assemblers never become good at choosing anacceptable combination of wood stock lengths on the first or second try,and therefore must spend additional time in a trial and error process toform a bundle. Further, the manual process of selecting rows for abundle is not particularly accurate when assembled by hand, especiallyif the person assembling the bundle is in a hurry to create the bundle.

[0018] Further, once assembled, it is difficult to obtain an accuratemeasure of the material which is included in each bundle, especially ifthe method of forming the bundle with two flush ends is utilized.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0019] It is therefore a general object of the present invention toprovide an improved bundling apparatus for selecting random lengthpieces of product to form standard length bundles.

[0020] Another object is to provide a bundling apparatus which isautomated to improve the accuracy of the overall length of rows within abundle.

[0021] A further object of the present invention is to provide anautomated bundling apparatus which is capable of documenting the lengthof pieces within a bundle more accurately than possible when assembledby hand.

[0022] Yet another object is to provide an automated bundling apparatusin which the number of pieces in a row of a bundle is automaticallytracked, to automatically compensate for end matching allowance.

[0023] Still another object is to provide a bundling apparatus which iscapable of tracking minimum average length information for each grade ofproduct.

[0024] These and other objects of the present invention will be apparentto those skilled in the art.

[0025] The method and apparatus for selecting random length boards fornesting into a single row of predetermined lengths includes the initialstep of arranging a plurality of random length boards on an accumulatingrack. A plurality of the boards are then conveyed to channels in anadjacent storage rack. The length of each board is determined as theboard is conveyed from the accumulating rack to the storage rack, andthis information is transmitted to a central processor. The processorcalculates combinations of board lengths in the storage rack which willform a single stock row having a combined board length within apredetermined target range. The processor then selects a preferredcombination of boards from the possible combinations, and activatesgates in the channels to drop the boards to a conveyor and move theselected boards to a stock row accumulating location. The processor thenactivates gates on the accumulating rack to convey additional boards toempty channels in the storage rack, and repeats the process. Theapparatus includes an accumulating conveyor with longitudinal trackspositioned adjacent a storage rack with longitudinal channels alignedwith the tracks. A scanning assembly is positioned between theaccumulating conveyor and storage rack for scanning boards movingbetween the conveyor and storage rack, to determine the length of eachboard. The central processor is connected to the scanning assembly, andgates on the accumulating rack and storage rack, to automaticallyoperate the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0026] The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which similar or corresponding parts areidentified with the same reference numeral throughout the several views,and in which:

[0027]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the bundling apparatus of the presentinvention;

[0028]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the stock accumulatingsection, scanning section, and storage section of the bundlingapparatus;

[0029]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2;

[0030]FIG. 4 is an enlarged end elevational view of the bundlingapparatus taken from the right end of FIG. 1;

[0031]FIG. 5 is an enlarged end elevational view of the bundlingmechanism of the apparatus;

[0032]FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the method for restocking thestorage section of the bundling apparatus; and

[0033]FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the method for selecting boards ofthe apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1,the selection and bundling apparatus of the present invention isdesignated generally at 10 and includes an accumulating conveyor 12, ascanning assembly 14, a storage rack 16, a row accumulating section 18,and a bundling mechanism 20.

[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, accumulating conveyor 12 includesa support frame 22 formed of a pair of parallel and longitudinallyextending side frames 24 and 26, a forward end 28 and a rearward end 30.A plurality of powered rollers 32 are arranged parallel to one anotherand extend transversely between side frames 24 and 26 from forward end28 to rearward end 30. Rollers 32 are oriented coplanar and are poweredto rotate in the same direction, so as to carry wood stock placed on theforward end towards the rearward end of frame 22. A plurality oflongitudinally extending parallel dividers 34 are spaced above therollers to form a plurality of longitudinally extending tracks in whichwood stock is placed and carried on rollers 32. Preferably, the rollers32 of accumulating conveyor 12 are operated at a speed which carries thewood stock at a rate of approximately 60 feet per minute.

[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, each track 36, formed betweenpairs of divider walls 34, has an operable gate 38 movable between astop position projecting upwardly into the path of wood stock 40 intrack 36, and a lowered position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 3)permitting stock 40 to pass by gate 38 within track 36. Gate 38 ispreferably operated by a pneumatic cylinder 42 or the like, which inturn is connected to a central control 44. Central control 44 therebyselectively operates gate 38 to permit or stop the passage of stock 40within each track 36.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, accumulating conveyor 12 includes a pluralityof tracks 36, each of which will hold a plurality of individual piecesof wood stock 40. Each piece of stock is preferably of uniform width andthickness, but has a variety of unequal, random lengths based upon cutsmade to remove defects from the natural raw material. A sensor 46 islocated proximal the rearward end 30 of frame 22 in each track 36, inorder to detect the presence of a piece of stock 40 in each of theparticular tracks 36. Sensor 46 is shown schematically above theaccumulating conveyor 12, but could be located below the conveyorbetween rollers 32, as well. Sensors 46 may be of any conventionalmechanical, ultrasonic, conductive or photoelectric switch, and are allconnected to central control 44 to transmit a signal to the centralcontrol indicating the presence of a piece of stock 40 within the trackand stopped at the gate 38. When central control 44 determines that apiece of stock 40 in a particular track 36 is ready to continue to thescanning area, it will send a signal to cylinder 42 to drop gate 38,allowing the stock to move past the gate on the powered rollers 32.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 3, scanning assembly 14 includes ahorizontal, low friction, wear resistant bed plate 48 extending from therearward end 30 of accumulating conveyor frame 22 to the forward end ofstorage rack 16. Bed plate 48 is positioned at a height coplanar withthe tops of rollers 32, such that wood stock 40 passing past gate 38will slide across the top surface of bed plate 48 after leaving therearward most roller 32.

[0039] A pair of constant speed feed rollers are positioned parallel toone another and slightly spaced apart, oriented transversely to thedirection of travel of stock 40, and spaced above the bed plate 48 adistance such that the feed rollers will engage and feed stock 40 byfriction between the feed rollers 50 and bed plate 48.

[0040] Feed rollers 50 rotate at a speed to feed stock 40 at a rate ofabout 240-250 feet per minute, much faster than the speed of travel ofstock 40 on the accumulating conveyor 12. Because feed rollers 50 propelthe stock 40 at a faster rate than accumulating conveyor 12, a gapdevelops between multiple pieces of stock within the same track 36. Thecentral control 44 will detect this gap via sensor 46, and triggercylinder 42 to raise gate 38 to the stop position, to thereby halt themovement of the next piece of stock 40.

[0041] Scanning assembly 14 includes a sensor 52 for determining thelength of each piece of wood stock 40 which passes through the scanningassembly 14. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, aphotoelectric sensor including a transmitter 52 a and receiver 52 b(shown in FIG. 1) is arranged horizontal between feed rollers 50 andparallel to feed rollers 50, at a height above bed plate 48 such thatwood stock 40 will break the photoelectric beam as it passes over thetop of bed plate 48 as it is fed by feed rollers 50. Sensor 52 isconnected to central control 44, and the central control will detect thetime at which the leading edge of a piece of stock 40 breaks the beambetween transmitter 52 a and receiver 52 b, and the time at which thestock no longer interrupts the lightbeam. Because feed rollers 50 arerotated at a known constant speed, the length of the piece of stock 40can be determined by the elapsed time that the lightbeam is interrupted.A pair of feed rollers 50 are utilized, a first feed roller upstream ofthe sensor and a second feed roller downstream of the sensor 52, suchthat the wood stock 40 is moved at a constant rate of speed as it passesthrough the beam of sensor 52.

[0042] An alternative to the use of a timer would be the use of a sensoron a cog wheel attached to feed rollers 50. The teeth on the cog wheelare counted by the controller as the feed rollers 50 rotate during theperiod of time that a board is sensed by the sensor. Other similar andequivalent methods of measuring boards are contemplated by the inventor.

[0043] While a single transmitter 52 is shown in the preferredembodiment of the invention for detecting the length of all of thepieces of wood stock 40 passing through the scanning area, a separatesensor could be utilized with each track 36, or with a group of tracks36, if a faster scanning rate is desired.

[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, feed rollers 50 advance the woodstock 40 through the scanning assembly 14 to storage rack 16. Storagerack 16 includes a plurality of channels 54 directly aligned with eachof tracks 36, to receive wood stock 40 from each of tracks 36. As shownin FIG. 4, each of channels 54 is separated by parallel side walls 56and a bottom gate 58. Each bottom gate 58 is pivotally mounted along oneedge on a hinge 60 to permit a piece of wood stock 40 to be selectivelydropped out the bottom of the channel 54 onto a cross-feed conveyor 62.As shown in FIG. 4, each bottom gate 58 has a pneumatic cylinder 64connected thereto for pivoting the gate 58 between a generallyhorizontal storage position, and a sloped “drop” position.

[0045] A plurality of cross-feed conveyors 62 are arranged transverselyunder storage rack 16, and are preferably belt conveyors. Conveyors 62move wood stock 40 dropped from storage rack 16, transversely to a rowaccumulator conveyor located in the row accumulating section 18immediately adjacent the storage rack 16. Each cylinder 64 is connectedto central control 44 such that central control 44 selectively drops theappropriate gates 58 to select particular pieces of wood stock 40 to rowaccumulating section 18. As each piece of wood stock 40 reaches the endof cross-feed conveyors 62, it drops on to the row accumulator conveyor66, which transports the wood stock 40 longitudinally to a rowaccumulator apparatus 68 in row accumulating section 18 (as shown inFIG. 1). Row accumulator apparatus 68 includes a stop gate 70 located atthe downstream end of accumulating conveyor 66, operable between a stopposition projecting downwardly into the path of wood stock 40 beingcarried on conveyor 66, and an upper position permitting wood stock totravel past the gate to be fed back to the operator at the entry pointof the selection and bundling apparatus 10. A pair of sensors 72 and 74are positioned over accumulating conveyor 66 and spaced upstream of stopgate 70 predetermined distances. As noted above, a row of wood stock isaccumulated to a predetermined length which desirably falls betweenminimum and maximum target lengths. The minimum target length isdetected by sensor 72 and the maximum target length is detected bysensor 74, positioned upstream of sensor 72.

[0046] For example, if the minimum and maximum target lengths are sevenfeet and eight feet respectively, wood stock 40 will be carried byaccumulating conveyor 66 to stop gate 70. Each subsequent piece of woodstock will contact a previous piece to form an accumulated row length.If the selected pieces form a length which does not reach to thelocation of sensor 72, the central control 44 will reject the entire rowand recirculate the stock back to the operator for placement on theaccumulating conveyor 12. If the row of accumulated wood stock isdetected by sensor 72 but not detected by sensor 74, then the centralcontrol 44 will have confirmation that the accumulated length of thewood stock pieces is within the minimum and maximum target lengths, andwill proceed with processing. If both sensors 72 and 74 detect a pieceof wood stock, then central control 44 will recognize that theaccumulated row length is beyond the maximum parameters, will reject therow, and will activate stop gate 70 to recirculate the wood stock backto the operator for placement back in the accumulating conveyor 12.

[0047] Gate 70 also permits the selection and bundling apparatus topurge the storage rack 16 of stock, such as upon startup or the like.

[0048] Referring now to FIG. 5, if the accumulated row of stock,designated generally at 76 is within the appropriate length parameters,it is pushed transversely from the accumulating conveyor 66 by apneumatic pusher 78 on to a layer accumulator 80. The layer accumulatorholds a plurality of stock rows 76 until a sufficient number of rows areaccumulated for a particular bundle width. FIG. 5 shows a bundle widthof three stock rows 76. Once a sufficient number of rows has accumulatedto form a layer, the same pneumatic pusher 78 pushes the entire layer onthrough the layer accumulator 80 into the bundle accumulator 82. Aplurality of layers are subsequently stacked on the bundle accumulator82 to a predetermined height for a bundle 84.

[0049] The layer accumulator 80 is pivotally mounted along a centrallongitudinal axis so that the last layer to be stacked on bundle 84 maybe inverted before placement on top of the bundle. Once bundle 84 hasbeen formed, an out-feed conveyor 86 transports the bundle to the bundlepackaging station (not shown).

[0050] Referring once again to FIG. 1, the central controller 44includes a processor which is programmed to automate the entireselection and bundling apparatus 10. As each piece of wood stock 40moves from a track 36 through scanning assembly 14 to storage rack 16,the controller stores the length of the particular board along with thelocation of that board in storage rack 16. Once all, or a predeterminednumber of channels 54 in storage rack 16 are filled with wood stock, thecentral controller 44 is programmed to determine the best combination oflengths available to fit the target length of an accumulated stock row76.

[0051] The central controller 44 may select as few as one board, or asmany as five or six pieces to best fit the target length row. However,the computer program biases the selection process to give preference tolonger pieces in making the piece selections for a stock row 76, ratherthan having the controller determine the absolute best mathematicalsolution. This is because the best mathematical solution has a tendencyto utilize shorter pieces first, since a row with many short pieces willhave more possible combinations and therefore will more easily fit anaccurate target length. If this occurs, only long pieces would be leftin the storage rack, and a combination of long pieces would not fit thetarget length.

[0052] In operation, the initial step in operating bundling apparatus 10is in the supplying of wood stock to accumulating conveyor 12. This maybe accomplished either manually, or by other automated apparatus, tosubstantially fill conveyor 12 with random lengths of stock 40.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 6, the central processor 34 executes anin-feed routine designated generally at 88 in order to fill channels 56of storage rack 16 (as shown in FIG. 1). This routine includes the stepof selecting one row or channel of storage rack 16 and determiningwhether the particular row is empty, and also detects whether there isany wood stock available on the in-feed accumulating conveyor 12. Ifeither there is no stock available or the storage rack row is not empty,the routine determines whether the detected row is the last row ofstorage rack 16. If not, it repeats the sequence with the nextsubsequent row of the storage rack.

[0054] If the storage rack row is empty and the in-feed conveyor hasstock available, then the in-feed routine will activate a gate 38 topermit a piece of wood stock to be fed and measured in scanningapparatus 14 and stored in the empty channel of storage rack 16. Thisprocess is then repeated for each channel 56 of storage rack 16 untilall of the channels have been checked and filled if possible.

[0055] Once storage rack 16 has filled to a predetermined capacity,central controller 44 will initiate the stock row selection routine 90,shown in detail in FIG. 7. As discussed above, the central controllerwill first look to determine whether a single board is present in one ofchannels 56 which has a length greater than 85 inches. If so, thecontroller will activate the bottom gate 58 of the selected channel 54to drop the board on the cross-feed conveyor and advance the board tothe row accumulating conveyor 66 (as shown in Figure 4).

[0056] Once there is an empty row 54 in storage rack 16, the centralcontroller will then go back to the in-feed routine 80 to fill that row,assuming that additional wood stock is available on accumulatingconveyor 12.

[0057] If no single board in storage rack 16 has a length greater than85 inches, the stock row selection routine then determines whether thetotal length of the available boards is greater than 93 inches. If not,then no combination of boards can be combined to meet the target lengthrange, and either additional boards will be added to storage rack 16, orthe controller 44 will wait for more stock to appear on the in-feedconveyor 12.

[0058] Assuming that the total length of the available boards is greaterthan 93 inches, then the stock row selection routine will first identifythe longest board available and assume that it is part of the solution.Central controller 44 then determines the best possible fit of remainingboards combined with the longest board, up to a maximum of five totalboards. If the best solution does not fall between the minimum andmaximum length (in this case 93 inches and 99 inches, respectively) thenthe routine will eliminate the longest board from consideration andcontinue the routine using the next longest board. This will repeatuntil the best solution falls between the minimum and maximum length.Central controller 44 will then open the bottom gates 58 of the selectedchannels 54 to drop the boards that are part of that solution. Thecentral controller then returns to the in-feed routine to resupply thestorage rack 16, as described above.

[0059] Whereas the invention has been shown and described in connectionwith the preferred embodiment thereof, many modifications, substitutionsand additions may be made which are within the intended broad scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A method of selecting a plurality of random length boardsfor nesting into a single row of predetermined target length range,comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of random length boardson an accumulating rack; conveying a plurality of the boards from theaccumulating rack to a plurality of channels in a storage rack, with oneboard located in each channel; determining the length of each conveyedboard as the boards are conveyed to the storage rack; transmittinglength information to a central processor, identifying each board lengthin each channel; said processor calculating the best possiblecombination of at least one board length to form a single stock rowhaving a combined total board length within the target length range; theprocessor selecting the at least one board from the calculatedcombination to form a first stock row; and the processor activatinggates in the channels containing the selected at least one board, toconvey the at least one board to a stock row accumulating location. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: after the gateactivation step, the processor closing the activated gates and thenreplenishing empty channels of the storage rack with additional boards.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the firstplurality of boards from the calculated combinations includes the stepof the processor prioritizing the calculated combinations according toprogrammed priority parameters, and further comprising the step ofselecting the combination with the highest priority.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the prioritizing step includes the step of theprocessor assigning the highest priority to the longest board in thestorage rack.
 5. Apparatus for selecting a plurality of random lengthboards to form a stock row of predetermined target length range,comprising: an accumulating conveyor for supporting a plurality ofrandom length boards; a storage rack longitudinally proximal theaccumulating conveyor, having a plurality of parallel channels forreceiving boards from the accumulating conveyor; a scanning assemblypositioned between the accumulating conveyor and the storage rack fordetermining the length of each board as the boards move from theaccumulating conveyor to the storage rack; means located between theaccumulating conveyor and the storage rack for moving boards from theaccumulating conveyor to the storage rack; detector means in eachchannel for detecting the presence of a board; a central processorelectrically connected to the scanning assembly and detector means, forreceiving and processing length information for each board from thescanning assembly, and location information from the detector means;selection means connected to the central processor, for selecting andmoving boards from the storage rack in response to a signal from theprocessor; and means for conveying selected boards from the storage rackto a stock row accumulating location.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5,wherein said accumulating conveyor includes a plurality oflongitudinally extending parallel tracks in which said boards aresupported, each track aligned with each channel of the storage rack. 7.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each track includes a detector meansfor detecting the presence of a board, the detector means electricallyconnected to the central processor, to signal the availability of stockfor the storage rack.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein saidaccumulating conveyor is operable to constantly urge boards towards thescanning assembly and storage rack; and selectively operable stop meansin a downstream end of each track, electrically connected to theprocessor and operable in response to a signal from the processor toprevent a board in each track from moving downstream and to selectivelypermit a board in each track to proceed downstream.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein the selection means includes an operable gate in eachstorage rack channel, operable between an open position permitting aboard in the channel to be moved to the conveyor for conveying selectedboards to the stock row accumulating location, and a closed positionretaining a board in the storage rack, each said gate connected to theprocessor for selective opening and closing.